chày

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The Vietnamese word "chày" is a noun that has a few different meanings and uses. Here’s a breakdown to help you understand it better:

Basic Meaning:

1. Pestle: In the kitchen, "chày" refers to a tool used for crushing or grinding substances, especially in cooking. For example, it is commonly used in making rice flour or grinding spices.

Usage Instructions:

• You can use "chày" when talking about cooking or preparing food that requires grinding or pounding.
• It is often used in combination with other words to specify its function, like "chày giã gạo," which means "rice-pounding pestle."

Examples:

1. Chày giã gạo: This means "rice-pounding pestle." You might say, "Tôi dùng chày giã gạo để làm bột." (I use the pestle to pound rice to make flour.)
2. Vắt cổ chày ra nước: This phrase means "to be a skinflint," referring to someone who is very reluctant to spend money. For example, "Anh ta vắt cổ chày ra nước khi phải trả tiền." (He is very stingy when it comes to paying.)

Advanced Usage:

• In a figurative sense, "chày" can describe someone who is very careful or frugal with their resources, much like the phrase above.
• It can also be used in idiomatic expressions to convey deeper meanings in conversation.

Word Variants:

• "Chày" can be combined with other words to create new terms, such as:
  • Chày cối: Refers to a pestle and mortar, emphasizing both tools used together for grinding.

Different Meanings:

• While "chày" primarily refers to a pestle, it can also represent the idea of being careful or frugal in different contexts, particularly in idiomatic expressions.

Synonyms:

• For the meaning of pestle, you might not find a direct synonym, as "chày" is quite specific, but you can refer to it with related terms like "cối" (mortar) when discussing the pair together.

Academic

noun

1. xem cá chày
2. Pestle
   • chày giã gạo
     a rice-pounding pestle
3. Bell-stick
   • vắt cổ chày ra nước
     to be a skinflint